TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The current turmoil in Turkey is a costly lesson for democratic countries around the world. It seems not all democratically elected leaders are able to safeguard democratic principles, as seen from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's overreaction to the failed coup de'etat in his country two weeks ago. He detained more than 6,000 people who were said to have participated in the coup.
The government also arrested Gen. Akin Ozturk and 26 other military top brass who were said to have mobilized the Army. But the crackdown did not end with military personnel. President Erdoan also ordered the arrest of journalists, teachers and university faculty members whom he accused of treason. Around 3,000 judges and prosecutors were removed from their posts. Erdoan appeared as though he were seizing the moment to crush his political opponents, and many democratic societies around the world have voiced concerns over this development. He pointed an accusing finger at Fethullah Gulen, 75, as the coup mastermind. Gulen is an influential Turkish cleric cum politician who founded the 'Hizmet', or 'service', Movement, a leading social and religious movement popular in Turkey and several other countries for its international educational network. The movement provides funds for various non-governmental organizations, schools and hospitals.
Gulen used to be Erdogan's ally in the heyday of their longstanding friendship. Erdogan was once a confidant of Refah Party Leader Necmettin Erbakan, who served as the Turkish prime minister from 1996 to 1997. Erdogan and Gulen stood side by side in the 1998 coup de'etat by secular groups and the military to forcibly dissolve the Refah Party. Erdogan later founded the Justice and Development Party in 2001 and named Gulen as one of the party's patrons.
They fell out when Erdogan accused Gulen of initiating a graft investigation against several high-ranking officials in 2013. Erdoan eventually detained reporters as well as military and police officials whom he considered to be followers of the Gulen Movement. The government also shut down several schools founded by the movement. A more severe strike came a year later when it ordered the arrest of Gulen on charges of attempting to overthrow the government. Gulen, who has lived in the United States since 1999, became one of the persons most sought after by the Turkish government and his movement was branded as a terrorist organization.
The saga culminated in Gulen being accused as the brain behind the coup that claimed 300 lives. Gulen denied having any role in it. He reiterated that governments could not rule by violence but only through fair and square elections.
The Turkish government should not use the crisis as an excuse to suppress the opposition. It appears that President Erdogan has deliberately let the coup end in bloodshed for his political interests. On the other hand, the government as a democratic authority should process every criminal offense through the legal mechanism. Let a court of law prove if Gulen and his followers were indeed involved in the coup plot or not.
President Erdogan should return to the ideals of his political party: Power is to be used for the people's welfare, not to retain the throne by any means. (*)
Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
